Iran Travelogue

The Ali Sadr Cave Touring the Ali Sadr Cave: No we suddenly didn’t get humpbacked! We took in a boat tour at the Ali Sadr cave, and we all wore these bulky life-jackets. The caves which contain a serpentine underground…

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Traveling in Iran – It Will Surprise and Delight You The last full day we drove to the village of Gameroud and stayed at the small Hotel Navizar where we met the proprietor, Ahmad Afshin Far. Ahmad had spent time…

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During our final days we continued off the beaten track, over the snow-capped Alborz mountains and into the Valley of the Assassins, another amazing find which Steve had looked forward to exploring. Not quite as high as the Himalayas, the…

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Takht-e-Soleyman (or Takht-e-Soleiman) Next we stopped at the World Heritage Site, Takht-e-Soleyman (also spelled Takht-e-Soleiman). Takht-e-Soleyman is a ring of 1500-year-old fortress walls (now housing only ruins, yet still impressive). According to UNESCO: “The archaeological site of Takht-e Soleyman, in north-western Iran,…

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We had another memorable experience in Isfahan, which has eleven long, wide bridges with rooms on either side. Particularly impressive was the “Bridge of Royals,” a breath-taking architectural gem of three levels adorned with graceful rows of arches, one after the…

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Wikipedia says: “Isfahan is located on the main north–south and east–west routes crossing Iran, and was once one of the largest cities in the world. It flourished from 1050 to 1722, particularly in the 16th century under the Safavid dynasty,…

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Isfahan, Iran’s Masterpiece Isfahan, often referred to as “Iran’s masterpiece” is a vibrant city of untold beauty where the old meets the new. Isfahan is centrally located on the ancient Persian north to south and east to west trade routes…

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Male and Female Doorknockers? Throughout our journey we were introduced to two other features commonly included in Iranian houses and hotels. First, about their elaborately-decorated front doors, they used to attach two separate types of door knockers—one for men and one…

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Zoroastrians and their Tower of Silence Yazd remains a center for the Zoroastrians — an ancient Iranian religion and we were anxious to visit the Zoroastrian Fire Temple with its distinctive insignia. Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions…

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Yazd City Wind Catchers It was was in Yazd that we discovered the ancient equivalent of air conditioning, a tall four-to-eight-sided structure called a badgir. Badgirs are wind catchers and are visible on almost every rooftop over the city, built…